Words / C2

LANGW-id/ˈlæŋɡwɪd/

Languid means moving or speaking slowly, as if energy is low: a languid wave, a languid afternoon. Slow is everyday; listless is closer to no interest; lazy is moral and often unfair. Languor is the noun (a pleasant or heavy slowness). Literary. In speech, slow and sleepy is enough. It can be sensual or critical (too languid to finish). It is not a medical synonym for ill.

Meaning

Moving or speaking slowly, as if you have little energy (literary).

Examples

• “She gave a languid wave from the sofa.”
• “She gave a languid wave from the sofa, as if the doorbell were optional.”
• “The prose is languid on purpose; do not confuse it with a missing argument.”

Good to know

Slow, low-energy (literary). Noun: languor. Everyday: slow and sleepy. Close: listless. Not merely lazy, and not a diagnosis.

Near in meaning

listless

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